Siege of Beit Alfa

The Siege of Beit Alfa (1192) was a battle of the Crusades between the Ayyubid Caliphate and the Kingdom of Jerusalem. The Ayyubids conquered the Briton city of Beit Alfa and defeated the crusaders.

Background
The Saracens built the town of Qaryat al-Rashid in 1192 in northern Israel, just to the east of the Christian town at the present-day Israeli settlement of Beit Alfa, beginning a rivalry between the two civilizations. The Britons of Beit Alfa built a typical town, while the Ayyubid Caliphate built a wondrous city. They constructed the Masjid al-Umar, Great Mosques of Qaryat al-Rashid, and Qaryat al-Rashid Castle as well as several houses to increase the population of their town to 150. In addition, they also built a large military base, and they were able to recruit large armies. Meanwhile, Beit Alfa built the Beit Alfa Monastery, but their settlement was confined to a small area and was not as large as the Saracen settlement.

Siege
The Saracens used their castle to train a large amount of Elite Mamelukes and siege weapons, and the Ayyubids developed a large army. Led by mameluke Hilmi Sharifi, the Saracens used their weapons to destroy the Beit Alfa monastery, and the Saracens attacked all of the buildings. They used onagers and the mamelukes to raze the Jerusalemite buildings, including the town center. The Jerusalemites surrendered soon after, with their settlement ruined.